


finding lines

by marsakat



Series: prompt fills [2]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Apologies, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 22:08:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20443346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsakat/pseuds/marsakat
Summary: Sometimes Tyler lashes out— Josh has seen it happen before, but it had never been directed at him before.





	finding lines

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this last year as part of a prompt game with friends. Recently redound it and decided to post it. Maybe I will post other small prompts soon, too.

Tyler was lava in winter. Magma beneath a frozen ground, ice covering fire. Anyone could see the danger under the placid, detached exterior. Sometimes a flame broke through and someone got burnt. 

Usually the person deserved it, but when Tyler was feeling low, oftentimes he would lash out like a wounded animal. It was a vicious cycle, wherein Tyler would end up being the most hurt, blaming himself for the damage he inflicted. 

Josh knew how much Tyler appreciated how easy it was between them. He’d always praise Josh for how nice he was, how he seemed incapable of being cruel. 

“Need to keep you around,” Tyler would say. “You’ll make me into a better person.”

Josh knew it was a matter of time before he screwed up—no one was perfect after all, and he put himself high up on that list. Social anxiety put every interaction into question, and while he was at ease with Tyler, he knew it was coming. And it did, but after nearly two years of friendship. 

“Damn, dude. Your butt looks great in those leggings.”   
Tyler laughed and rolled his eyes. “Ah, shut up, bro.”

This kind of banter was normal between the two of them; jokes that hopped over the line of flirting. Tyler dished back possibly even more than Josh gave—he had a weird affinity for Josh’s legs, and often mentioned them whenever Josh wore shorts or swim trunks. 

Josh had been waiting for Tyler to return home; Michael and him were hanging out in the living room with a bag of potato chips each. The leggings in question were floral and did accentuate what little shape he had, once he shrugged off his baggy hoodie that really belonged to Josh. 

“I’m serious. You’ll be bringing home lots of cute guys to your mom after wearing those.”

As soon as the words left Josh’s mouth and Tyler reacted by going completely still, Josh knew he crossed a major boundary. Even Michael tensed. 

Tyler visibly locked up, and the next words were punched out of his lungs. “Fuck. You. Josh.”

“Ty—”

“You know…” and it was clear that Tyler had unpinned a grenade he was about to hurl at Josh, despite Michael grumbling a warning. “Saying dumb shit like this is exactly why no guy calls you back.”

Sweat broke out all over Josh’s body. He knew he was wrong, and would be obsessing over every second that just occurred. He felt terrible, though he wasn’t entirely sure where he had messed up. It was the mixture of confusion, betrayal, fear, and embarrassment that generated a rising tide of tears threatening to crash through the careful dam he’d built. 

Tyler was already storming away upstairs to his bedroom and Michael seemed at an utter loss for words. 

“Josh, he doesn’t mean it.”

“Leave it.” Josh’s voice was tight. 

“It was uncalled for, you weren’t—”

“I said leave it,” Josh growled. “...please.”

They both lapsed into silence, broken by the basement door closing loudly and Mark appearing in the living room. Clearly he’d been called in as backup, but Josh didn’t see if it was Michael who texted him what happened. 

He didn’t. 

“You gotta see this video of this guy doing a backflip off a train.”

Josh appreciated the move, and let himself be distracted though he wanted nothing more than to escape to mope in his car. He didn’t know what would happen next with Tyler. The part of his mind that blew things out of proportion envisioned Tyler kicking him out of the band and breaking his heart forever. 

He would’ve known his fears were for naught, if he saw the text message on Mark’s phone saying, ‘ _ I screwed up. Can you check on josh for me please?’ _

…

Tyler always had a flair for the dramatic, and his wavering voice calling for Josh would have been over the top for anyone but him. But the immensity of what had occurred between the two of them was not like how it was for anyone else. 

Dread was heavy in Josh’s stomach as he ascended the stairs and followed the familiar path to Tyler’s bedroom. The first thing he noticed when looking at the singer sitting on the bed with his knees to his chest, was that he had changed into baggy sweatpants. Josh felt a pang. He had really liked those leggings after all. 

Josh sat on the bed next to Tyler but made sure not to touch him. He saw him many times shrug off comforting hands when he was angry. Josh let Tyler come to him when he was upset, let him dictate the touches—that’s what Tyler preferred anyway. Tyler always initiated.

He made the first move after all, not even waiting for Josh to settle down before he leaned over and rested his head on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” they said at the same time, and meant it.

Tyler may be cold, and he may burn hot. But if you knew just where to stand, he would keep you warm.

**Author's Note:**

> teeentyonepilots on tumblr and trenchtowel on twitter


End file.
